Wearable-Sensor System for Monitoring Motor Function

Boston University (Charles River Campus), Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a wearable Personal Status Monitor for improving the medication management of Parkinson's Disease patients by monitoring the effects of the medication continuously during the day. New outcome measures are needed to supplement the self-reports currently in use that are ineffective in managing the complex and unpredictable nature of movement disorders in this population. The device we propose to develop can be worn unobtrusively by patients in their home to automatically provide the following clinically significant information: 1) the presence and severity of specific primary and secondary movement disorders associated with the disease, 2) the status of On-Off motor fluctuation in response to anti-Parkinson's medication, and 3) the mobility status of the patient. The patient will be monitored by specially designed electromyographic (EMG) and accelerometric (ACC) body-worn sensors. Their signals will be analyzed by a novel Artificial Intelligence knowledge-based signal processing method developed by our group specifically for this purpose. Success of the system will be based on classification accuracy compared to observation by experts. The proposal is composed of two projects. The first and dominant project will develop the underlying technological requirements for the PSM system's application to Parkinson's disease. The aims will include acquisition hardware development in the form of hybrid EMG/ACC sensors. However, the emphasis will be on the development of the knowledge-based algorithms and their software implementation. The second project is designed to acquire the knowledge base needed in Project 1 through data collection experiments from control subjects and patients with Parkinson's disease. The experiments are designed to advance the algorithm development in a hierarchical manner starting from highly standardized activities to free-form activities which approximate real-world conditions. The development of the system will be constructed so that future versions can be adapted to other movement disorders. The successful development of this technology will be transferred for commercial development with the financial assistance of the Massachusetts Community Technology Foundation. [unreadable] [unreadable]